Einar Hærland was a Norwegian military officer who was executed during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...

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He was born in Solum

Solum, Norway

Solum is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Solum was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 3,557. Solum is located west of the city Skien, and encompassed districts such as Nenset, Tollnes,...

 as the son of Ole Hærland and his wife Marie, née Knudsen. Einar Hærland married and had two children, and the family settled in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

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Hærland had embarked on a military career, and was promoted to Captain following the battles in Northern Norway during the Norwegian Campaign

Norwegian Campaign

The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...

. When the fighting subsided, and Germany occupied Norway, he was hired in the police, while at the same time conducting illegal resistance

Norwegian resistance movement

The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...

 work. When the Nazi police leader Gunnar Lindvig was assassinated by the Norwegian resistance in May 1944, Hærland was executed by Sicherheitspolizei

Sicherheitspolizei

The Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1936 and 1939...

 officer Ernst Weiner

Ernst Weiner

Ernst Josef Albert Weiner was a German SS Hauptsturmführer during World War II, most noted for his role in the Sicherheitspolizei in Norway during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany....

 as a reprisal

Reprisal

In international law, a reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Reprisals in the laws of war are extremely limited, as they commonly breached the rights of civilians, an action outlawed by the Geneva...

. His execution marked the start of a broader retaliation operation called Operation Blumenpflücken

Operation Blumenpflücken

Operation Blumenpflücken was a counter-resistance operation in occupied Norway, planned and carried out by the Gestapo/Sicherheitspolizei in 1944 and early 1945....

. Hærland was buried at Vestre gravlund

Vestre gravlund

Vestre gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway, located next to the Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway...

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